Italy and Palestine

Italy and Palestine

Thursday 22 March 2007 19.55 EDT
First published on Thursday 22 March 2007 19.55 EDT

With reference to your leader (March 20), I wish to clarify that the news of a telephone call from the Italian minister for foreign affairs, Massimo D'Alema, to the prime minister of the new Palestinian government of national unity, Ismail Haniyeh, is unfounded.

Last Friday, foreign minister D'Alema sent a letter to the president of the Palestinian National Authority, Abu Mazen, to re-affirm Italy's friendship for the Palestinian people, reiterating that the Quartet's principles must remain the goal toward which the action of the new Palestinian government must be directed.

At the same time, D'Alema emphasised that the Palestinian new government must be fully committed to ending violence and the smuggling of arms to Gaza, must put an end to the launching of Qassam rockets and must release Corporal Gilad Shalit.

The new government will also be judged on its capacity to restore negotiations with Israel, according to the guidelines of the "road map".

Italy remains committed to making use of any advancement in the above directions to do all it can to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and to rekindle the peace process, thus improving stability in the Middle East.Giancarlo AragonaItalian ambassador